No Strings Attached
by Dewey'sGirl
Summary: McGee's having a bad day, and a teenager he meets in the park help him to see things from a different perspective.


Just something I came up with while thinking of my friend- I do that a lot, especially in the lead up to Christmas and birthdays. The story about the old men and the bridge is true- the rest is made up. Obviously, as the characters arn't mine- except McGee's new friend. Merry Christmas everyone, don't forget to tell the quiet, dependable people how much they mean to you, or one day you'll wake up and realise they're gone and you did.

* * *

McGee had said he was going out for lunch, but when he got in his car and tried to decide where to go, he had realised that he wasn't hungry. So he had gone to the park instead; maybe the fresh air would make him feel better.

Tony and Ziva had been sparring across the bullpen all morning, and not only was it getting on his nerves, he also felt-and he was embarrassed to admit it, even to himself- a little excluded, like they were the only two people in the world and he wasn't a part of it, like they were partners and he was non existent. Abby was upset about something, but Gibbs had disappeared for about half and hour with a Caff-Pow, and when he'd next been to see Abby, she'd been much happier. She hadn't even needed McGee to help, just Gibbs. He knew that they were close, but still… it made him feel unneeded. And, to top it off, he had collided with the director on his way out and had been scolded about running when it's not an emergency and spilling your boss' coffee. Not that he had been running.

The whole world was against him today, he decided as he leant on the bridge over the stream, and watched leaves falling into the water and be swept away by the current. It occurred to him how peaceful it would be, being swept away from everything… He stopped to think, to wonder, how often he felt like this, left out of the loop. He considered the team his family, but even so, more often than he wanted to admit, he felt left out.

He was suddenly aware of a hand on his arm, and he turned to see a girl of 13 or 14 standing beside him.

"Hi." She said it quietly, timidly. "Are you ok?" he turned to look at her. "It's just, you look kinda upset, and…" she bit her lip. "Do you want to talk? No strings attached, you tell a stranger your problems, you feel better, we walk away and we never see each other ever again." She tossed her shoulders back a bit, trying to fling her brown hair back behind her shoulders. The wild nearly curls reminded him of Ziva, and he looked away. She smiled at him, and said "well, ok. Have a nice day," and started to walk away.

He thought about her offer. It would be good to talk to someone, and as she had said, it wasn't like he knew her… there were no strings attached…

"Wait!" he called after her. She turned around and meandered back to him. She stood next to him, then, holding onto the railing, swung herself down until she sat on the bridge with her feet dangling over the water. He hesitated for a moment, and then joined her on the bridge. They sat for a moment, listening to the stream.

"So, things aren't going as they should be?" she prompted. He thought about the question, thought about how silly this was, thought about lying, then, to his surprise, answered truthfully.

"My co workers were fighting again. We work in law enforcement, we become pretty close… we rely on each other, risk our lives with one another as our back up." He stopped and thought again. "They're always arguing. It sounds silly, but… it's more teasing, I suppose. And I'm never included…" he was surprised at how upset he was becoming, and how much better he felt for the smallish hand closing over his. He began again. "And, our forensic scientist, Abby, well, we… went out… for a little while, and I thought that we would remain close friends, but…" he paused again, thinking belatedly that maybe "went out" wasn't the right way to put it, but it was the best thing he could think of at that point in time. "She was upset this morning, and she went to my boss instead of me…" he considered how childish that sounded. "Does all of this sound… immature?" he asked, turning to her.

He could hear her silently weighing her words. "Yes and no," she answered. "I think the acts that have occurred today, and your reaction is somewhat silly, but there is obviously some insecurity that has been present for awhile. These isolated incidents seem silly and insignificant, but put together…" she left the sentence dangling in mid air. She shifted to face him properly. "Do you often feel excluded? Like they don't care, even though you care for them?"

McGee stopped and thought, tried to remember back. "Sometimes… a lot of the time… I feel excluded," he said slowly. "And if I don't feel excluded, I feel… I don't know… like I'm the core of their teasing." He thought about being glued to his desk, having his moisturiser taken by DiNozzo, being yelled at by Gibbs.

She swung her legs over the stream. "Have you considered that they feel comfortable doing these things to you?" she asked. "They're familiar enough to treat you like a sibling. But have they ever treated you like a friend? Confided in you, tried to comfort you, helped you with something?" He remembered Abby yelling at Tony for stealing his sandwich, Ziva asking him for help when she was unsure of the best route to work, of Gibbs getting him coffee when he'd done a particularly hard job well. Tony coming down with him to see Kate, Ziva telling him that they had never doubted him when he'd shot that cop. They knew he would never let them down, and they had never let him down. He'd just forgotten it for awhile…

He looked up to see her smiling. "See? They do care. I bet you're one of those dependable people that are always around to help, never bothering anyone with their own problems. The kind of people that their friends and family sometimes forget exist." She leant over, and when she spoke again, she was nearly whispering. "But they'd miss you if you were gone."

She stood up, and dusted herself off. She turned to leave, but as if on a second thought, turned back again. "I told you that this was no strings attached. Well, I kind of lied." McGee looked up at her in surprise, and saw her eyes filled with tears. She cleared her throat. "A friend of mine… she was crying on a bridge when a couple of old men walked past her. They discussed going to talk to her, but decided that it was just typical teenage girl trouble and she'd be ok." She wiped her cheek. "And everyday since I've wondered; If they had stopped and listened to her, not done anything but let her tell them her problems, let her know that some one cared, would that have stopped her putting the noose around her neck and jumping from the tree." She wiped her eyes again. "Just remember this next time you see a stranger who's upset. Try to help them. You never know how many people you might be saving, how much pain you might be preventing." She smiled, and slowly started walking away.

McGee sat and stood for only a moment before coming to a decision. He jumped up and hurried after her, grabbing her by the elbow. She turned around. "I'm Tim. Tim McGee." He smiled. "I was thinking of grabbing a bit to eat. Would you like to join me?" she smiled and nodded, and he knew what he had to do.

"Tell me about your friend."


End file.
